Examining Differences

I'm Caucasian, born and raised in Macedonia, but currently living  and studying in Maribor. I was born in a town in Macedonia, called Prilep, which is almost as big as Maribor, but very different in most other social or cultural aspects. Even though moving seems very strange and almost an impossible thing to do for Slovenian people, to me it seemed as the natural and necessary thing to do. I believe that 'home' is a feeling, not a place. Your birth place/country doesn't have to feel like home. If it does, then it means that this place gives you the chance to grow, to find what you're good at, to achieve your life goals and you should consider yourselves lucky.

I was raised as Orthodox Christian, same as the rest of my family, but I don't consider myself a very religious person. I have two parents, a grandmother and a sister and they all live in Macedonia. I'm the older daughter so I have somehow always kind of felt that I should be a person my sister would look up to. Considering the fact that Macedonia is a rather conservative country, I'm thankful for having such open-minded parents who always support me in every decision and trust my judgement. So, rather than identifying myself with religious or social groups, I like to think that I'm an open-minded person, who is not afraid to move, travel or adapt to new environments.

As far as subgroups are concerned, I have a degree in English language and literature teaching, but I'm also proud to call myself a linguist. I love music, movies and books, so I like being identified as a TV-show addict or an Arctic Monkeys fan rather that being identified as a Christian or a foreigner in Slovenia. I also really love writing, so I hope I'll be able to call myself a writer one day. A writer- it would be nice to be identified as a writer, don't you think?

Examining Differences

The one thing I perhaps like most about my identity is that I am someone who tries to not stubbornly resist changes but instead accepts them, for better or for worse. I would say I strongly believe that the only constant in life is change and I try not to fear it. Fear of change makes you old, you know.

Connected to that is what I consider my drastic step of changing my style completely a few months ago. My childhood friends, who have ever only known me as black-wearing, long-haired, shy little thing, are confused now that every time they see me, I'm sporting a different hairstyle and wear a colourful dress, and have a new story to tell.

My background is what some would call boring, but every superhero needs their origin story to be told. I come from a little village with some nasty inhabitants in the Gorenjska region. I grew up in a fairly happy family with a mum, a dad, a little brother, a grandmother, and a grandfather. As most of Slovenes I also have some Catholic background.

As a little bonus I would like to say I have been thinking a lot about this week's lecture on modern American fiction by professor Krevel. Some of my colleagues know it was discussed, how every individual only has a few important big issues they really care about. I was able to identify three issues that I care about  and are also an important part of my identity.

Examinig Difference

While reading all the posts in relation to examining difference, I noticed everyone to label themselves firstly as Caucasian. I can understand the logic behind it – the colour of the skin is the first thing one mentions when describing a person, but it is not necessarily the first thing one would classify themselves to be. I would understand why a person living in a very multicultural and multi-ethnic environment would pay a lot of attention to race, consciously or not, since. In Slovenia, though, most people are Caucasian and not many pay attention to this fact until they meet someone who isn’t. This is why being Caucasian isn’t the first thing I would define myself to be.

Gender is a huge identification factor, so first and foremost I’d label myself as a woman, which probably stems from my childhood insecurities and trauma of having short curly hair to the age of 12, looking like a freshly shorn sheep and hating it. People would quickly mistake me for a boy and I’ve spent my teenage years trying to be more feminine in appearance and behaviour. I still have my moments of dissatisfaction and insecurities about my appearance, but then again, who doesn’t?

I come from the Gorenjska region (so do all my grandparents except my grandmother on my mother’s side), which is also a big part of my identity, and so is my home dialect.  When I’m in Ljubljana, I often feel a warm fuzzy feeling hearing my dialect, hearing people speak of small places I know … Even though I do not feel homesick and love living in Ljubljana, it is still nice to feel a connection with home in a relatively foreign place. I like my dialect, but I do try to tone it down when talking with my schoolmates, professors and strangers, since I somehow feel protective of this important part of my identity. I know it is a bit irrational to believe this, but it seems I tend to “save” all my dialect for my relatives back home, since it’s one of the rare things we share in its entirety.

I am also the youngest of three children, I have two 6 and 8 years older sisters. I used to be much more “grown-up” than most of my peers and I believe my amazing sisters had quite a lot to do with it. There were not many children of my age in my village and I had two choices: I could either play with children younger than me and adapt to their mental level or make friends with my sisters’ generation and become a bit more serious. I chose the latter; this was probably the decision that had the biggest effect on my life of all. I still do not feel my real age, but rather a few years older, all thanks to my sisters.

When it comes to other factors that shaped me into what I am: I am a part of an enormous family (more than 180 relatives only on my father’s side), was raised in a traditional Christian environment (which I've consicously steered away from in the last few years), a musician for as long as I remember, a film, series and buff, avid reader, lover of coffee, tea and travelling (even though I travel far less than I would want to) … But then again, there are already such detailed interests I do not find it reasonable to apply any of them to me since such application would not be consistent. After all, none of us is defined by only one’s heritage or a few important events, but rather by hundreds of small interests, past experiences and people around us. People are a constantly mutable beings with our identity being in the process of change and redefinition all the time. We can slightly change in one single night …

Examining differences

As all the participants who posted their contribution for this week's task, I am also a Caucasian Slovene. I come from Nova Gorica, a town situated on the Italian border, and as far as I can trace, all my relatives come from different parts of the Primorska region. So I would not only classify myself as a Slovene but also as a "Primorec" because I have lived there my whole life. However, even now, when I spend most of the week in Ljubljana, I have no difficulties blending in, since Slovenia is very small and sometimes the only real factor for figuring out where people originate from is their accent.
Living next to the border also means that from an early age I have experienced not only the Slovene culture, but also the Italian; a blend which definitely also shaped my identity. My colleagues from other towns near the border will probably agree with this notion.

I belong to a family of four, I have a brother who is nine years younger than me. Although we get along very well, it is undoubtedly true that because of the age gap, we were never really interested in the same things and even now when he is a little bit older, we still are not very alike. Sometimes we even joke that we are complete opposites, which is of course not entirely true, but we do have certain personality traits that clash (for example, he is very outgoing, sporty and does not enjoy reading, why I am a more introverted bookworm). 

I found it quite a challenge to think of some subcategories I would put myself into because I have never thought of that before. I don't like to classify myself since I like a lot of different things, some of which do not have a common denominator. But if I have to think of some, I would definitely say I am a bookworm and I appreciate other art forms as well (mostly film and photography). Travelling is one of my greatest passions and I especially love exploring old towns and cities, getting lost in their rich history. I have always been drawn to everything British from their humour to their books, films, and TV, tea drinking, and, of course, their language. I am pretty sure I lived in a small cottage somewhere in the English countryside in one of my previous lives. I am also interested in science as long as it is presented to me in a way that does not include too many complicated calculations and formulas, which I am horrible at. I am one hundred percent a summer person and enjoy the sun and heat much more than snow and cold. Those who know me will definitely be able to confirm that complaining about the cold and the lack of sunlight is one of my favourite things to do during the bleak winter months. Now that it's finally getting warmer, I am also getting happier. :)

As we have discussed in our classes especially when talking about place and gender, there are numerous factors that shape our identity and perception of the world. Since the Earth nowadays is smaller than ever, we are no longer detached from people of different nationalities, races, and cultures. Although humanity does have a dark past of suppressing difference and trying to assert a dominant, "superior" culture, we have now come to a point where the only way forward is accepting difference, following the principle "live and let live." Unfortunately, all around the world, people are still being marginalised for who they are. We don't have to go outside Slovenia to see that: in the past few months, several conservative activists, as well as the officials at the Catholic Church have been spreading lies about homosexuality trying to topple the law legalising gay marriage. It is sad to see that even in 2015 we still have people who are unwilling to accept the fact that there is no one right way to live but that the future lies in plurality.  

Examining Differences

I too am obviously Caucasian and, also obviously, from Slovenia. I lived in Ljubljana for most of my life until I moved three and a half years ago. I still live close to Ljubljana, but just far enough that commuting takes a lot of time (I need approximately an hour and a half to get to the faculty). Despite the travel time, I am very happy that I moved because I feel like Ljubljana is filled with people who are always in a rush and never have time to just relax and not stress about everything, as opposed to my new home where more people take the time to smile at strangers, wish them a nice day or have an occasional chat with them.

I have two brothers and I am the middle child, so I am proud to say that I am both the baby sister and the older sister. Being the middle child has also pushed me into sometimes having to play the role of the middle man. Or, well, woman. I think that as a future teacher, feeling comfortable in this role will help me out quite a lot.

I look forward to being a teacher, but I do not want that to be the only thing I ever do. I want to travel, live abroad, get another degree, be a writer, be a skiing teacher and learn how to dive so that I could explore the ocean. And these are just some of the things I wish to do. Will I manage to do them all? Who knows? We will wait and see.

Considering all of this (and much more that cannot all be written here) I identify myself with a lot of subgroups. I am a writer, a traveler, a teacher, a skier, a dog lover, a baby sister, an older sister, a linguist, a book worm, a runner, a skater, a dancer, a translator, a girlfriend, an actress, a singer, a coffee lover, a happy and positive person and so much more. The list could go on for many many pages. But if I were asked to describe myself with one word? I could not do it.

Examining differences

Examining differences

I'm Caucasian and I live in a small village in Slovenia. I have a big family, one older brother and sister who are twins and I also have a twin sister. I am the youngest of them all and I have been treated as such despite only the five minute difference between me and my sister.

There are not many subgroups that I identify myself with. I am a book lover and I enjoy spending my life in the countryside rather than in the city. I have a cat but as soon as I have saved enough money I would love to get a husky. The only subgroup that pretty much defines me is the group of my co-workers who have been a beautiful constant in my life for the past nine years. I might also belong to the group of people who play table football in their free time and enjoy in occasional once a month drive on the passenger seat on a dirt bike.

Examining Difference

We are socially defined by race, class, and gender, among other things.  We use the term "Intersectionality" to describe the complex relationships that make up an individual identity.  They all exist on a continuum, rather than a binary.  For example, religion, family status, body ability, education, and language, all shape who we are.

What group identities do you share?  Try to connect your post to the readings for this week.

I'll start:  I'm obviously Caucasian,  but less obviously from North America (as all of you know).  I blend in easily in Slovenia, because of our common skin color.  In fact, every day people come up to me and start chattering in Slovenian, and when I tell them I only understand a little Slovene now, they invariably reply, "Oh, sorry!  I thought you were Slovenian!"

I have a large extended Irish Catholic family, with five brothers and a sister, and I will always be a little sister, now matter how I age, but by my birth order of #6.  I'll always relate to Christian ideas, even if I don't go to Church, just from my childhood and Catholic schools.

I'm an educator, and this is a big part of how I define my life and my self.  The readings for this week on race and "coolness" inform my work at the Maine State Prison, where many of my students are African American, or Hispanic.  Their marginality is part of why they are in prison.

Subgroups that I identity with, and inform my person-hood are many.  As a poet, I belong to a group of poets in Maine, and we work closely with songwriters and other artists.  As a dressage rider, I identify with the world of horses and trainers interested in classical dressage.  And as a  dog owner, I am definitely a "dog person."

How about you?